Chapter 362: Chapter 362 - 356: A Sight Too Tragic to Bear

Joining the crew of "Shadow Kill" for a week, the filming progress has been exceptionally smooth.

The actors have been dedicated, whether it’s the lead actors adjusting their scenes with each other or the supporting actresses who used to gossip about Shi Su behind her back. Most of them are now being courteous on set, and no one dares to openly discuss anything.

It’s not because the casting was particularly discerning, but due to a very realistic reason.

Shi Su has become popular.

In this circle, only those who are truly capable and well-known can bask in all the radiant glory, as a certain movie star once said. Only when one becomes popular does one realize that everyone around them is suddenly friendly and welcoming.

Tonight, they just filmed two scenes of Shi Su sneaking into the Old Shanghai Opera House in a cheongsam to deliver information discreetly. After this scene, her outfit needed to be transformed to show evidence of having been captured and abused.

The scars on her face and limbs were painstakingly created, taking so long that by the time she could stand up in the makeup room, her neck had grown stiff and dared not move. Especially, the scars on her body were so realistically applied that it appeared as though she had just endured a beating and bullying, an utterly pitiful sight.

To add to that, Shi Su was suffering menstrual cramps today, making her complexion appear even worse than usual, that frail and pallid look perfectly fitting the director’s requirements.

...

"Cut!"

"Excellent!"

"This scene was good! The trembling looked very real!" Mr. Li said, giving Shi Su a thumbs-up through the camera, then happily watched the replay on the device.

Even though the scene was wrapped up, Shi Su was still trembling.

The shot didn’t include Wei Sinan, who was free from filming at Group A, and thus watched Shi Su’s performance from the side. Seeing her acting strangely, he swiftly went over with Chu Jiu to help support her up.

As soon as his hand touched Shi Su’s arm, he discovered she was ice-cold, realizing the props group had doused her with ice water.

"Why is she so cold?" Chu Jiu exclaimed in surprise, quickly helping Shi Su stabilize.

Shi Su had just been "tortured," then doused with water after fainting, now appearing even more bedraggled, the viscous fake blood from the makeup still clinging to her, making her look a hundred times worse than before filming began.

After shivering again, she glanced toward the direction of the props group staff, noticing their eyes swiftly shooting back from her direction.

Shi Su silently rolled her eyes, shivered again, then saw Wei Sinan’s similarly concerned and confused expression, and quietly said: "I’m fine, let’s talk outside."

Walking out beyond the lens to a wider area outside the torture chamber scene, Shi Su finally took a deep breath and said softly: "Remember Jin Yuanshan? There are people from him in the props group. That old man suffered losses back in the ’Honey Ferris Wheel’ days because of Tong Yuanyuan and remembered me for it. Though he doesn’t have much interaction with me within the film industry investing circles, many props in this drama are crafted by casting companies under Jin Group, the prop group leader is also from their company."

"But still, this isn’t an excuse to drench with cold water, even if it’s summer now, but you said today was your..." Chu Jiu almost blurted the three words "period" but suddenly paused, looking at Wei Sinan standing nearby, holding back.

Although Wei Sinan didn’t hear the complete statement, he instantly understood, frowning initially at the mention of Jin Yuanshan, then immediately caught on about Shi Su’s condition today, promptly signaling to the assistant standing afar for a dry large towel, which he later draped over Shi Su.

Shi Su still needed to use her current look for the next scene’s filming, so she couldn’t change her makeup, and could only remain in her soggy, forlorn state for continuation. Although the two buckets of ice-cold water just dumped on her made her shiver, her stomach now began to ache excruciatingly.

Chu Jiu, aware of Shi Su’s constant fear of cold, always kept a thermal cup and brown sugar water in the car, a habit maintained over two years with Shi Su. Now seeing Shi Su standing pale as ever post-filming, couldn’t help but grip her hand tightly, softly saying: "Won’t you tell the director about this? Get the props group replaced, and the water too... the next scene has you being whipped with saltwater... what if something bad happens with the whip..."

"It won’t be that bad, just trying to give me a hard time is all. If they really hurt me, no one in the props group would dare take this ’job,’ they need to feed themselves too. Just cold water, minor tricks, a reminder that Jin Yuanshan could always trouble me." Shi Su, wrapped in a large towel, smiled at Wei Sinan while turning her head and said: "Thanks a lot, my issues aren’t worth mentioning, you’re up next in the scene where you also get beaten. Shouldn’t there be some bruise makeup on your face already? Go get it done."

"Really all right?" Wei Sinan saw her pallor was indeed not just makeup-related.

"I’m fine." Shi Su shook her head: "Chu Jiu will give me some hot water before filming resumes, plus it’s summer now, the heat is manageable."

Only then did Wei Sinan turn to get his makeup done, while Shi Su walked to her mobile home, not convenient to enter due to her current state, and chose to sit beneath a temporary tent set by staff outside where she drank some water. Yet the throbbing pain in her belly was unrelenting, causing her to grimace involuntarily while drinking, however, she endeavored to set down the water cup with a seemingly normal expression.

A week into filming, and the interpersonal dynamics on set have remained harmonious, except for occasional minor "errors" from the props group aimed at her. These small missteps were especially clever, she wouldn’t sustain any injury but was continually enduring hardships. Yet any complaint about the hardship would certainly be seized by lurking insiders on the crew to label her as "pompous" and "pretentious." Over the past two years, many have sought to discredit her, making her vigilant and cautious, unable to influence things on set, resigned to biting through the pain.

During the opening night banquet accompanying Mr. Li for a toast, she noticed Jin Yuanshan’s secretary among the tables, despite Jin Yuanshan not appearing personally. Subsequently, she discerned that many meticulously crafted props came from companies under the Jin Group, accepting potential scenarios down the line as possible occurrences.

Yet quite the perfect irony that the basin of cold water coincided with her period.

Even more coincidental, upon finishing filming in the evening, partially drenched in a sticky cheongsam all day, she stepped out prepared to remove makeup and change into her own clothes, only to suddenly spot a brand new black Bentley — the only one in Jiang City — parked beside her mobile home’s space.